Donington WorldSBK an “important race” for Andrea Locatelli after Suzuka podium

Fresh off a second place at the Suzuka 8 Hours, Andrea Locatelli heads to Donington for the UK WorldSBK.

08 Jul 2026

Andrea Locatelli, 2026 Emilia-Romagna WorldSBK, grid. Credit: Gold and Goose.
© Gold & Goose

After his second Suzuka 8 Hours podium, Andrea Locatelli is hoping to carry his form into the UK WorldSBK at Donington.

Locatelli and the Yamaha Factory Racing Team finished second to Honda HRC for the second year running at Suzuka last weekend (3–5) July.

The Italian was pleased with the weekend, with the race taking place in full wet conditions.

Andrea Locatelli, 2026 Suzuka 8 Hours, pit box. Credit: Yamaha Racing.

“Suzuka was a great experience again – this time a little more difficult because of the track conditions; it was raining for almost the entire race and we also had a lot of safety cars,” said Andrea Locatelli.

“Despite the rain, I think we managed it well and finished second – we were fast in every situation and condition, and that's something we can take real confidence from.”

Looking to Donington, Locatelli is hoping to be able to head into the WorldSBK summer break that follows it with some confidence for the final rounds.

“Now, back-to-back, we head to Donington, it’s an amazing track – and I'm also happy to be back working with my team for their home round,” he said.

Andrea Locatelli, 2026 Czech WorldSBK, grid. Credit: Gold and Goose.
© Gold & Goose

“It will be an important race for me to arrive at the summer break with confidence to take into the last part of the season.

“I hope it will be a great weekend for us; I'll try to enjoy it as much as possible and get the best possible results.

“Racing here is an extra motivation because it's a home race for the team and I'm really looking forward to it.”

Locatelli’s team-mate, Xavi Vierge, is also using the home race aspect as motivation for Donington.

Xavi Vierge, May 2026 Misano WorldSBK test. Credit: Pata Maxus Yamaha.

“I'm so excited to be back racing at Donington – a new track for me with the R1,” he said.

“It's the home race for the team, which means extra motivation! I'm looking forward to getting back to work with my team; we worked hard in Misano and these couple of weeks off have given us time to analyse the last few races.

“We'll start from a solid base that we already know and focus on extracting the maximum from it.

“Donington is the last race before the summer break, so it's very important to have a strong weekend, keep improving and head into the break with good feelings.”